Paul Thomas Anderson's Next Film Being Shot On IMAX Stock

When it comes to the debate of IMAX vs. 3D, we here at Cinema Blend are staunchly in favor of the former. Managing to create what appears to be actual depth instead of artificial depth, IMAX is the most immersive format currently available for filmmakers. Some of the best action sequences from last year came courtesy of Brad Bird using 65mm print for scenes in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and we can't wait to see what other filmmakers do with it. Take, for example, Paul Thomas Anderson, who is apparently filming parts of his next film in IMAX.

In a conversation with Brad Bird on Twitter, director Andrew Stanton confirmed that Anderson is using 65mm print for his next project, which has gone by the name of The Master (though it is currently untitled). Even more interesting, apparently Anderson even lost control of one of the rigs at one point, as Stanton said that they nearly lost a camera while "shooting in the Bay." Supposedly a commentary on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, Anderson's film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a World War II veteran named Lancaster Dodd who returns to the states and founds his own religion, taking a drifter, named Freddie Sutton (played by Joaquin Phoenix), under his wing. But as the religion grows, Freddie begins to question Dodd's actual intent. The movie also stars Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Lena Endre, Rami Malek, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Jesse Plemons.

What's really fascinating about this story is that the logistics don't really seem to add up. In addition to being incredibly expensive (The Master barely got financed as it was), IMAX is notorious for being noisy and hard to maneuver. What this means for The Master is a mystery at this point, but we can't wait to see the results.